Catamenial plug



1933. F. s. RICHARDS-ON 3 CATAMEN IAL PLUG Filed Jan. 28, 1931 Patented Oct. 24, 1933 PATENT OFFICE UNITED STATES 4 Claims.

My invention has for its object to provide an improved catamenial device for use by women at their menstrual periods, and, to this end, my .invention consists of the device having the novel features hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein like notations relate to the same parts in the different views.

In said drawing,

Fig. l is a perspective view of my improved device detached; and

1Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the D 118.

The device is in the nature of a plug adapted to be inserted into and retained by a woman's vagina. The body of the plug is made up of absorbent material 3 which may be either cotton, or cellulose. Preferably, the body of the plug is round, or approximately round in cross section. Cotton is available in rolled forms of any desired diameter, and hence, it is a convenient material to use. The said body of absorbent material 3 is preferably about two and a half inches in length and about three-fourths of an inch in diameter. To this body 3 of absorbent material, there is applied a moisture pervious wrapper 4 composed of some suitable slipper flexible material, such, for example, as perforated cellophane. The web of this wrapper 4 is of a width a little less than the length of the body of absorbent material 3 and is so applied to said body of absorbent material as to leave the latter uncovered, at least at theinner end, and preferably at both ends of the plug for a distance of about three-eighths of an inch. To the outer end of the plug, there is attached a pull string 5 and the attachment is preferably made by the usage of a doubled string, first looped about the plug, near its outer end, and then threaded into it and outward through the center line of the plug and knotted together at the outer end of the string.

In the usage of the device the plug is inserted into the vagina with its inner end as nearly as possible to the mouth of the womb. The pull string 5 is of such length that, when the plug is in working position, the pull string will extrude from the vagina in position to be readily reached. The muscular contraction from the vagina will be sufiicient to hold the plug in working position, in most instances at least, but, inasmuch as the absorbent material is not covered by the wrapper at the rear end of the plug, that end of the plug will tend to adhere to the membrane of the vagina or womb and help hold the plug in proper Working position. The special purpose of the wrapper 4 of pervious slippery material, such as cellophane, is, in part, to hold the body of absorbent material in its proper desired shape, and, in part,

to enable the plug to be easily inserted into work- 0 ing position.- Perforated cellophane makes the most desirable kind of a wrapper. The perforations in the cellophane permits the discharged material to enter the body of absorbent material through the perforations of the wrappe Of course, it must be understood, that as soon as one of these plugs is loaded by the discharge, the plug should be withdrawn and thrown away, and a new one inserted. These plugs can be so cheaply made and sold that the number required is no material drawback to their usage.

It will be understood that, if desired, the absorbent material of the plug may be charged with any desired deodorant desired, such as phenol, spirits of peppermint, Wintergreen, etc. It will also be understood that the cotton or cellulose employed for the material and the entire plug should be thoroughly sterilized before the usage thereof. I

By actual commercial usage, the practicability 30 and utility of this device has been fully demonstrated.

So far as I know the prior art, I am the first to have provided any practicable form of catamenial device intended and adapted for use in- 35 side the vagina. Hitherto, only outside appliances, bandaged to the body, have been used, and these are usually bulky, leaky, unsanitary, inconvenient to apply, and uncomfortable in use.

My device is small, extremely-sanitary, easy to apply and comparatively comfortable in use. In commercial practice, plugs of different sizes in respect to diameters are available and when plugs of the proper size are selected and properly used there will be no leakage. Hence, the exterior of the body can be kept perfectly clean.

What I claim is:

1. A catamenial device comprising an approximately round plug of absorbent material having on its body portion a wrapper of perforated cellophane of less width than the length of the plug, and so applied as to leave the absorbent material uncovered at the rear end of the plug, and av pull string attached to the outer end of said plug, and which plug is adapted to be used, substantially as described.

2.'A catamenial device of size and shape to be inserted into the vagina comprising an elongated substantially cylindrical plug constructed of soft, highly absorbent material and a closely perfo- 1l0 rated flexible wrapper surrounding the greater part of the peripheral area of said plug and slightly compressing said plug but leaving the absorbent material uncovered at the inner end of said plug to provide a slight enlargement for retention purposes, said wrapper being constructed from a sheet of thin, moisture proof material.

3. A catamenial device of size and. shape to be inserted into the vagina comprising an elongated substantially cylindrical plug constructed of flufiy, highly absorbent material, a thin, moisture pervious wrapper of flexible material surrounding at least the greater portion of said plug and a flexible element such as a string having a loop tightly surrounding said wrapper and said plug and having an end extending through said wrapper into the longitudinal center of said plug and then extending longitudinally through the outer end of said plug.

4. A catamenial device comprising a plug of absorbent material, a wrapper of less width than the length of the plug so applied about the plug as to slightly compress the major portion of the plug while leaving uncovered one end of the plug, and a pull string attached to one end of the plug rnmnnrcx s. RICHARDSON.

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